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I have learned so much this semester about writing, interviewing, taking photographs and so much more. I now feel comfortable going up to strangers and asking for an interview. Coming up with a story is typically easy for me, but finding an expert source is difficult at times.

One of many important things I have learned to be a great journalists it is to have a large presence on social media. Before this class I had never even blogged before. I now have a wordpress account, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

This was my first college Journalism class and I am so thankful to of had an amazing professor. Ms. Sheppard brought so much experience, knowledge and extremely helpful ideas every class meeting. I am sad to see her leave Seminole State, but wish her well on her next adventure!

This last issue was definitely my favorite. Maybe because my story was finally one I was really interested in or because I finally got that hang of journalism, but either way I felt really good about this story. I finished really early and was able to get a much better quality story with more interviews than I could even add. Ms. Sheppard gives us perspective from a real journalist and that makes writing for the scribe so much more rewarding and much more realistic. I wish there was a journalism II at SSC but then again I wouldn’t want to take it without Ms. Sheppard. I’ve learned the importance of attention to detail. Names, capitalizing, hyphenating, AP style; it’s all annoying at first but it makes you so much more of a discerning writer and I feel more confident now.

Oh man oh man lol. This issue is bitter-sweet for sure. I am happy the semester is about over because I am mentally drained lol but I really am going to miss Ms. Sheppard and my classmates. Most of all I am going to miss working on the SeminoleScribe. This issue I learned that Seminole State is loosing one of their best Instructors. Ms. Sheppard won’t be with the school after this semester and even though I am sad to see her leave, I am also very happy for her. She deserves the best. Thank God for social media lol she will never be far away. I have also learned that I really do have a passion for journalism and I am ready to apply at UCF. I hope that they accept me into their Journalism program. I will keep the faith.

It’s hard not to be cliché and say that this semester has gone by super fast, but it has. It’s also hard to believe that we only wrote only four articles during this time. At the same time I realize everything I learned took weeks of trial and error to get down, yet I know there is room for lots of improvement. This last issue turned out to be the easiest for me because I felt like I had the majority of basic reporting and editing skills learned fairly well. In fact, the most difficult part of this article was a source who mumbled through the interview, making it difficult to discern what he was saying. Thankfully, my other two interviews went smooth, and my expert source was more than happy to talk with me. The only thing I wasn’t truly happy with was the topic I covered; the collegiate high school program in Central Florida. While it’s an opportunity I wish I had in high school, I am not particularly interested in writing about these topics. I wanted to write a piece that was more “local” this time, something happening right in our backyard. This approach still fascinates me, but I could tailor it to encompass my own interests in the future. I had a great semester and I learned a LOT about one of my prospective professions.

Red Huber visited us on 4/21. As he walked in, animated and prepared, I knew I would be able to take a lot from what he was going to say. As someone who loves photography I was soaking in all the knowledge and advice I could. He spoke with such humility and as if he was your uncle or someone close to you that really cared. What was also really admirable was his acceptance and open minded nature to new technology. As an older photographer who has lived through the transition into the digital age, he never felt threatened by the change. Red Huber invited and accepted new technology to facilitate him in his craft. That, I believe, is why he’s been so successful and something I will take with me. To adapt.

Red Huber, a photojournalist, came into our class and spoke on his experience and career. His presentation began with a video slideshow highlighting his work during his years, provoking emotion from amazement to distraught. Red has covered events like the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and various space shuttle events.

Huber seemed very passionate about his work, and I have no doubt in my mind that his heart lies in capturing stories through a lens. Regardless of the path I choose to take in my own career, his imploring advice to be “all in”, in whatever it is I choose, will stay with me indefinitely.

In addition, his encouragement to be straightforward when possibly overstepping boundaries was very eye-opening, as far as if you respect the boundaries of others, they may just return the favor and help you out in whatever it is.

Huber may have spoken specifically on photojournalism, but the lessons he shared with us reaches beyond a specific career path, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to meet him.

Today we had guest speaker, Red Huber, a staff photographer with the Orlando sentinel come in an talk to us about photojournalism and some of his experience on the job.

He showed the class a video that showcased a lot of his work, it was amazing to see the images that he was able to capture. There were picture of the Space Shuttle launch, the Miami Riots, as well as his coverage of the 9/11 attacks in New York.

He showed us some of the technology that he uses when on the job, such as the decibel remote he used when capturing his images of the space shuttle launch. he also showed us his use of mail boxes to house camera that he would have to set up days in advance.

It was very interesting to have him speaking in class, especially as someone who loves photography. o personally enjoyed having him in class to discuss photojournalism.

“all of this new technology is just a tool that you can use’

He spoke to us about how journalism as a whole is changing due to the increasing prominence in technology and social media. He mentioned how some people thought that photojournalism was at an end because of the advances in cellphone cameras, however photojournalism is just as important, if not more important than it ever was before.

Today a professional photojournalist was in our classroom as a guest speaker. Red Huber from the Orlando Sentinel came to tell us about what being a photojournalist consists of. With plenty of wonderful stories and gorgeous photos our class was in awe.

With incredible photos of shuttle launches riots, and nature, Red Huber inspired me to take more risks while photographing object, people, or even just landscapes. He showed us all how a little preparation and opportunity can come together to capture some heavy hitting images that would make a grown man cry.

Even the stories Mr. Huber told us either made the whole class feel like happiness and rainbows, or like a rock hit the bottom of our hearts. The one thing he can do while telling a story is not to just tell you what happened, he paints the picture for you and shows you what he experienced.

With this speech, I want to try harder to get better photographs and be better prepared when that prime opportunity comes knocking.

Thank You so much Red Huber for the inspirational words and amazing stories that may help drive me to find a new hobby, or even a new career.

Having only been my third piece of writing that I’ve ever done in journalism, I think I had come to develop this idea that the story would write itself.

This issue, I was able to get great interviews, yet I didn’t really have a stance that was really evident to me from the beginning. I started writing and hit a brick wall. The ledes in my previous work were the first thing I wrote after getting interviews before, and on this one, it felt like I could write the whole thing and still not come up with a sentence that was interesting enough to make someone read it.

I think I sat down for nealry 45 minutes trying to make something work, and I’m still not entirely pleased with the outcome. I learned that I’m not always going to like what I write, but I shouldn’t give up on it completely if it’s a worthwhile story.

this issue really taught me flexibility. By mistake my story didn’t get printed and things like that happen in the real world but you have no choice but to roll with the punches. I was a lot less inspired this time around and didn’t feel connected to my story but I learned you have to just push yourself and get it done regardless. I’m finding out that hard journalism and hard breaking news type of stories are not what I gravitate toward but it’s all a learning process and I’m finding my voice and my groove little by little.

I know now that being a journalist isn’t easy. Journalist have a lot of responsibility and it is honestly like a 23 hour a day job, it never ends lol. This issue I had dreams about Ms. Sheppard coming in my room with a humongous red pin and writing all over the white walls in my bedroom lol. I am serious, this issue was a bit stressful but on a positive note, I made it through it and produced a nice story. At least I think so, I have not received my grade yet lol. I am still just as passionate about journalism as I was when I first walked into this classroom and the hardships I may face as a journalist don’t scare me. In fact, it makes the job worth wild. My days are never boring and my classmates and I have the best conversations ever. I love coming to class and seeing my Instructor dressed in her awesome pant suits and my fabulous classmates whom always have something interesting to talk about. This issue I learned that anything is possible if you are driven and focused on what is important and right now, getting the story right and getting it published is what’s important. I am looking forward to the last issue of the semester but it is bitter sweet. I just love being apart of the SeminoleScribe!

Every issue brings new challenges and lessons. During this issue my biggest challenge was myself. I took on a really great story and did my research, but I just couldn’t seem to start the story. I had a few different angels to cover and I ended up going with the boring one. I’m still not happy about it, but it was too late to start from scratch. I also relied on a source for pictures which I see now is a mistake. I need to always be responsible for my sources and my own pictures.

The exercise we did with taking 3 pictures and getting quotes was fun for me. I enjoy going up to people and starting conversations. I had never really thought about taking pictures at different angels before, so that was interesting to try.

While working through my third article my main challenge was to stay unbiased. As an avid health maniac and frugal gym goer, I wanted to shed some light on the bottomless pit of Advocare. My first draft was riddled with opinions and editorializing and it proved slightly difficult to make the article impartial and fact based. After my first draft, I was able to go back and rewrite most of it to educate and not throw my opinion onto the reader. My first interview was with an Advocare distributor, and while I got good information from her I almost felt bed knowing that I was going to be putting the company she had invested so much in into a negative light. My only other challenge was the securing of sources when crazy things happen. One of my potential interviews was delayed when the source had to undergo an emergency appendectomy. On top of that my nutrition professor from last semester has proved to be extremely evasive as she was late in getting back to me on my first article, and now has not responded at all for my Advocare article. Next time I am just going to fan out my requests for interviews and attempt to contact multiple people for the same perspective, that way if one or two of them don’t respond, there is a back up plan.

Upon arrival, around 3:45 the mood at the Winter Park Art Festival was similar to that of a huge gallery; Quiet, mellow, sophisticated but minus any air conditioning. The 91 degree weather reminded attendees it was most definitely an outdoor festival. Tents were scattered in an organized maze along Park Avenue. For the first day of the festival, the sunrail was not as packed as expected by riders, possibly because of the free sunrail rides on the following days or possibly because many were still at work. Festival activities went on as usual with street food lined along the brick roads, live performers, and a myriad of artists’ tents to gaze at and admire. By 5:30 the crowds remained about the same, not too packed nor too empty but with the heat, most attendees seemed to have had enough and began heading home. Overall the art was as expected, diverse and creative, something for any art lover to enjoy. The Lake Eola Festival, another local art festival which is right around the corner, definitely has a much more fun ambiance than the Winter Park Art Festival. Partly due to the crowd, the Lake Eola festival is much larger and attracts much more families who thus bring their children and add vibrance to the festival. Winter Park was enjoyable though nonetheless.

Seminole State’s Career Development Center held a career panel at Seminole State’s Sanford/Lake Mary campus on Thursday, March 5 2015. The members of the panel offered advice and encouragement to students interested in pursuing careers in arts, humanities, and communication.

“I am still to this day amazed that I’m being paid to do something that I would have done for the love of it, for free,” Donna Bundy said.

Dan Connors, on right, listens as Donna Bundy talks about the path that led to her current position.

Bundy is the Executive Director of the Seminole Cultural Arts Council and was a member of the career panel. The five members of the panel shared with the students what they have learned during their career working within the arts. Each panel member had different careers and took different paths to get to their current positions.

“I got tired of forcing myself to ‘Get a real job,’ and just decided to sell my art.” Randall Smith said. “Once I just stopped fighting what everyone else said I should do, and went after what I am passionate about, now I’ve really reached a point of success.”

Randall Smith, a Seminole State alumni with a degree in graphic arts was another member of the career panel. Smith has been making his living selling his paintings and doing freelance artwork for the past two years and said he is happy with the decision.

The advice given by the panel covered a range of topics, from the benefits and dangers of projecting a personal “brand” on social media to the importance of networking and meeting people. According to Donna Bundy, it was a through her volunteer work with the Central Florida Society for Historic Preservation that she met the person who gave her the job which would eventually lead to the position she enjoys today.

To another member of the panel named Sebastian Sanchez, a Project Specialist with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando and another Seminole State alumni, meeting new people had another advantage. Mentorship. Sanchez said having a strong mentor at Seminole State helped him be successful after a first semester “On the wrong track.”

Despite their differing backgrounds, the panel agreed that “doing what you love” makes for not only a more fulfilling career, but also a more successful one. They also collectively agreed that the way to that career may be long and full of surprises, but getting out and pursuing it was the only way to make it happen.

Panel member Sebastian Sanchez said, “Be great. Be great at everything you do. Don’t just be good, be great and treat people great.”

Today, I had the pleasure of attending a career panel hosted by Seminole State College. The event was centered around five speakers who shared their life experience and their journey that led them to the success they find today. The panel consisted of Donna Bundy, who serves on the boards of directors of the Central Florida Society for Historic Preservation, James Greene Jr., a freelance writer, Sebastian Sanchez, a Project Specialist, Randall Smith, a pop artist, and Dan Conners, a production director at Mix 105.1 radio station. Of all the speakers at the panel, I found Sebastian’s story to be the most inspiring. Sebastian has been involved in non-profit and government sectors which started after his internship in Washington, D.C. Soon after, he took part in an internship in South America, specifically Cuzco, Peru. At such a young age, Sebastian had me in awe at his professionalism and his aspirations for himself. I found his simple advice of finding a mentor who can not only guide you, but inspire you, to be extremely insightful. On the journalism side, James mirrors my attitude towards writing. I don’t want there to be a specific format or rules to follow. I have ideas and words I want to share, full of emotion and sometimes laden with adjectives. James gave me a reality check when he said, “Some of your greatest experience can come much later on.” For someone who relies on instant gratification, this took hold in me. Maybe everything great for me is right around the corner, maybe it’s fifty years down the line Dan mentioned that waiting for the right opportunity isn’t enough. He said, “Get in the door doing SOMETHING.” This stuck out because its easy to mope around thinking your opportunity will never come but it may just be behind a door that you don’t think to open at first.

This panel was far more helpful than I anticipated, and I’m thankful that I was required to attend it. Just like Dan said about the door, I may not have thought a career panel would be helpful, but going through it opened my eyes on how to get from point A to point B.

The career development center at Seminole State College put together a panel of 5 very interesting, informative and motivating professionals. The panel consisted of Donna Bundy, Sebastian Sanchez, Randall Smith, Dan Conner and James Greene, Jr.

Each told their story of success and agreed passionately that it is important to love what you do.

Donna Bundy, Executive Director of the Seminole Arts Council, began the discussion sharing her experiences of 35 years in the business industry and how she got offered “the job of a lifetime.”

“You never know where an event can take you and how it will assist you in your career,” Bundy said.

Sebastian Sanchez, Project Specialist with the Hispanic Caucus Institute, is young and inspiring. He was the first in his family to graduate college. He shared a lot of great advice but the one that really stuck out the most to me was how he began his discussion on the panel.

“One of the first things I’d like to stress, actually really nail in, is the meaning of getting a mentor,” Sanchez said.

Dan Conner, Creative Service Director at CBS Radio, shared how his passion as a child of wanting to be on the radio actually led him to his true passion which is what he is doing now. The advice he gave that was so instrumental was the importance of bringing new ideas to the table and selling them.

“What we need is innovators,” Conner said.

Randall Smith, a self made artist, stressed how important it is to not only sell the art but to sell yourself as well.

“Once I stopped fighting what everyone else said I should do and went after what I’m passionate about, now I’ve really reached that point of success,” Smith said.

James Greene, Jr., a freelance writer, shared the importance of integrity along with great advice on using LinkedIn to track down sources for articles.

“Some of your greatest successes can come later than you expect,” Greene said.

The discussion was only an hour and in that hour these 5 professionals were amazing. The advice and knowledge they shared were greatly appreciated.

In order from left to right, the guest panel consisted of Dan Conner, Donna Bundy, Sebastian Sanchez, Randall Smith and James Greene, Jr.

One thing is for certain, all of the panelist believe that you should do something that you love.

Dan Connors is a Creative Services Director for CBS Radio. He does not look at radio as an industry that is dying but an industry that is changing faster than we can change with it. According to Connors radio isn’t seeing a decline in bodies but the problem is that they are getting less of their time because there are so many other options out there.

“What we need is a new generation of innovators,” Connors said.

Conners painted the picture that no one is going to come up to you and just start throwing ideas at you.

“You have to come up with the ideas yourself and be firm with your ideas.” Conners said.

Donna Bundy serves on the board of directors of the Central Florida Society for Historic Preservation and has chaired the Longwood Arts and Crafts Festival for 15 years. When it comes to social media her opinion is that

“People realized that what they said could follow them forever,” Bundy said.

Followed with a chuckle, Bundy explained the importance of portraying yourself in a positive manner on Facebook because this could indeed affect the possibilities of getting hired for a job. Maybe even the job of your dreams.

James Greene Jr. is a freelance writer and he is the author of “The Music Leaves Stains: The Complete Story of The Misfits.”

Greene, Jr. truly Believes that you have to stay focused on your dream and if an opportunity presents itself but it doesn’t agree with the path you have chosen to take, you can politely turn that opportunity down and continue on the path you have chosen.

“Don’t be afraid to wait for the next thing,” Greene Jr. Said

Sebastian Sanchez works as a project Specialist with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando within the National Entrepreneur Center located in Orlando Fl. According to Sanchez one of the keys to success is finding a mentor. A person that has the skills that you wish to acquire. A person that makes you step out of your comfort zone.

“Be Great,” Sanchez said.

Randall Smith is an artist and a graduate of Seminole State college. He believes that your life is your life and that you should spend your life doing what you love to do. Focusing on what other people want you to do is a waste of time.

“Once I stopped fighting what everybody else said I should do and went after what I am passionate about, I reached the point of success,” Smith said.

After the awesome discussion, the students and guest panelist engaged in some networking and light refreshments.

These amazing self driven guest panelist really lifted my spirits. I felt so motivated and rejuvenated when I left the room. I am more driven than ever and I am ready to pursue my life long dreams because I want to spend the rest of my life doing what I love to do.

Today at the University Partnership building the school held a Career Panel. The panel consisted of five speakers, each with their own unique professional background. The speakers were Dan Connors, Donna Bundy, James Greene Jr., Sebastian Sanchez, and Randall Smith. As the discussion started the speakers began with their personal and professional backgrounds. the people attending consisted of mainly students with a fair amount Seminole State alumni .

The conference was very insightful and informative and many of the speakers were talking about how they ended up where they are today. When the subject moved to opportunity they had plenty to say Speaker, Sebastian Sanchez said”if the opportunity doesn’t feel right to you, don’t be afraid to say no thanks I’ll wait for the next one.”

“Don’t stay in a job where you don’t enjoy every minute” Donna Bundy said, when discussing her current job. Which was something I really took to heart.

Dan Connors, A Creative Service Director for CBS radio, was talking about how at first he wanted to have a job where he could be on air, after a while he realized that wash;t what he wanted to be doing anymore and eventually became a creative director for the stations. Connors said “that the best thing that you can do, if you know roughly where you wanna go, get in the door doing something…. but bottom line you gotta get the first opportunity before you can even get a shot.”

At the Partnership building we went to the Arts, Humanities, and Communication Career Panel. With five panelists from communications and business backgrounds, us students were already excited to hear what would be said. As the Scribe reporters filled up half of the back row with our recording devices at the ready, the introductions began. Dan Connors, Donna Bundy, Sebastian Sanchez, Randall Smith and James Greene Jr. were the panelists.

“if the opportunity doesn’t feel right to you, don’t be afraid to say no thanks ill wait for the next one.” James Greene Jr.

If that doesn’t calm you down i don’t know what will. With someone older saying that to us about opportunities in the future, it helps me to calm down and not worry as much about how scattered my future can be and that opportunities come all the time.

Another point that made me feel like sunshine and happiness was when Sebastian Sanchez started talking about how to treat others, “Be great to others regardless of how they treat you… Be great at everything you do.” Sanchez said. Which was something my father instilled in me as a youngster that i have always tried to carry into everything i do, and if that has taken Mr. Sanchez as far as he has been, i feel much more hopeful than i did before this discussion.

I was surprised, during the writing of this issue at the variety of responses people have when speaking of homelessness in our community. It’s becoming more and more of a prevalent topic in the media, and yet, it was still kind of taboo to talk about.

During my interviews, the majority of people I spoke to were open about their opinions and were not afraid to state what they actually thought. It seemed like the higher up on the totem pole my interviewee was, the less likely they were to give me a clear statement.

Needless to say, what I learned on this issue was that people are weird. We are selective on what we say when we’re aware that it’s being documented, yet we don’t really think the same way when it comes to social media.

From covering the baseball game for this issue i learned a valuable lesson for stories, if they don’t work out how you would like, drop it. After i realized the story i was working on wasn’t going anywhere i panicked and was worried about not getting anything in, but when i talked to Mrs. sheppard and the editor about what i can do, they told me i could cover the baseball game the next day and i was a little nervous because it was the first time i would be covering anything. After the game got underway and i jotted some notes down and started taking pictures i realized how easy covering something as slow moving as baseball is. No rush, not much sudden unanticipated action, and plenty of opportunities to take great pictures. The only down side of the event was how cold it was, which was fixed with a jacket. The parents were friendly and aproachable even while their son was in play, and always had great things to say about the team, unlike the coach and players who felt quite bad about their performance. After going through all this and getting my feet wet with event coverage, i feel like going out and enjoying events while taking pictures, it also forces me to be more social and interactive with people there too.

This time around was a bit harder for me. I thought I had a good story to begin with but a week before deadline I lost motivation and found another story to cover. Little did I know, changing my story would cause me more trouble because I had less time to get with my sources and go to events to take pictures. I find myself editorializing too much so i’m working on shifting gears mentally to be more specific and detail oriented when writing. This class is pushing me out of my comfort zone when writing and although it may frustrate me, I know it’s definitely helping. Ms. Sheppard told us at the Orlando Sentinel they do five stories in a day and that put into perspective for me that even when I think i’m working hard, I can try a little harder and prepare myself for the real journalism business. Thanks Ms. Sheppard.

The hardest part about writing the second story for me was choosing a story. For some reason I just could not find anything of interest until I came across the article in the NY Times about the guns on college campuses debate. Being a gun advocate myself I was interested in finding out what the opinions of students on the issue was. It was actually difficult to find students against the bill until I went to my journalism class! One thing that frustrated me on this story was being turned down for interviews. I have a feeling I need to get used to it! Designing the layout was a little easier for me this time. In design is still challenging but I feel I’m getting better at it. I look forward to writing my next story.

This issue I learned that I still need a lot of practice with Adobe InDesign. I am not going to lie, I am great with Power Point and that is it lol. I was so lost with this second issue but as usual, Ms. Sheppard comes and rescues me from my InDesign nightmare. She always spares my feelings and for that, I am forever grateful. I also learned that things constantly change in the field of Journalism and you have to be very focused and self driven in order to deal with those constant changes. You can easily get discouraged because there are so many changes and things just don’t fall into place like you want them to but if you stay focused and keep pushing forward, a great story is never out of reach.

I wouldn’t say that I’ve been around the block, but having an article under my belt calmed my nerves when going into my second story. This time around interviews felt more natural. When I conducted my first ever interview for my “vaping” article, the conversation felt too structured. I had initially made a list of five or so questions that I wanted to ask, but when actually asking them I felt like some were out of place and did not help the interview flow, per se. This time I did not make a list of questions but instead made a list of 3 main ideas that I would guide the conversation into covering. This led to a MUCH more relaxed interview for both the person being questioned and myself. I got better quotes this way as well, which I’m assuming is because the lack of rigidness made for a more candid interview. The thing that changed and improved the most for me was the overall length of my first draft. My first attempt at an article was over double the word limit, but this time (knowing how to be conservative with allocated space) my first draft covered all my points while still remaining within the word limit. I’m really excited and confident to start my next article. Instead of covering soft news like my first two, I want to switch it up and cover something much more serious.

The Altamonte campus of Seminole State is about to grow much larger than its current one-building site.

Seminole State has recently purchased relatively large plots of land adjacent to the main building in Altamonte which could mean the possible out growing of the Sanford Lake Mary campus.

Despite its current convenience, Seminole State student Grace Gore welcomes the change. “It would be nice. I wouldn’t have to park in the grass anymore.”

Another Altamonte campus student Jasier Hernandez is also looking forward to “more parking.”

Multiple buildings being added to the campus could mean more opportunities to take better classes for those living in the area. “I think its supposed to actually be bigger than the one in Sanford,” student Kettley Valcourt said, “I actually prefer the smaller building. Everything is in one place.”

When asking the Seminole State students at the Altamonte campus about their opinions on the expansion for more buildings, they seemed to answer our questions, with more questions. “Are they going to build a bigger parking lot?” said student Ivangellys Gonzalez.

Suggestions also followed much of the questions that students had. “They should move the nursing program to one building to keep it more organized,” continued Ivangellys Gonzalez.

Many students thought it would benefit them greatly to expand the campus and offer classes in their Altamonte campus to refrain from having to travel to the Sandford campus.

“Expanding the campus will make it feel more like a real college,” said Anderson Bryant. “People think the Altamonte campus is lame since it’s only one building.”

Other Seminole State students at the Altamonte campus were indifferent towards the 8 building expansion.

“It doesn’t make a difference for me,” said Jeremy Santiago. “I do think it’s good idea though.”

With the land from the former Audi dealership already bought by the school, expansion is for certain. Students opinions though vary and it seems the school should take into account how their students feel and maybe take some suggestions from the people this expansion will effect the most.

The Seminole State College Lake Mary/Sanford campus is about to become one of the smaller ones. The Altamonte Springs campus is beginning to move into phase two of the development. The master plan as stated on the website is to include eight high rise buildings and 1.4 million square feet of free space.

Pleased to hear of the expansion Seminole State student Daniele Hoit said, “This campus needs to get bigger and just have more room for parking so I can stop parking on the grass.”

Currently the campus consists of one building. Seminole State student Garett Kelly said, “I like that its one building and I don’t have to go outside when its cold.” Another student Rita Ordaz said, ” I go here because its the closes campus and I’m happy about the expansion.”

There is a plan to expand the Seminoles State Altamonte Campus to about about 1.4 million square feet, more than all the current campuses combines according to Seminole State’s website. The current campus is a single four story building and the plan is to expand it to eight buildings.

A fellow reporter and I asked a few students around campus about the expansion plans, and what they would like to see most come out of the expansion. The extra space will allow a much larger variety of classes to be offered. A student there, Graite said she “I would like to see them bring the theater department over to the Altamonte campus”. Students said they wanted things like an actual recreation area or a courtyard, somewhere for students to hangout. But one of the most reoccurring things that people wanted to see done was more parking.

Luckily for students the college has stated on its website that it will be significantly increasing the amount of outside parking including the construction of two parking garages, by the end of it there will be ample parking spaces for about 5700 cars. Also the south parking garage is set to have a sky park on the roof as a recreational area for students. Other improvements include the construction of 15 story buildings along Maitland boulevard.

Now that Seminole State College has decided to expand their Altamonte Springs campus from one building to eight buildings, it was time to see what the students thought about the plans for the bigger campus. Jenna was sitting outside Natures Table with her friends at the Altamonte campus when i asked her her opinion on the expansion. After having the president of Seminole State College come and talk to her class earlier that morning, she was the most knowledgeable out of her friends and had the most to say,

“I hope they will have more parking so i don’t have to come hours before my class to get a good spot.”

Classes at the Altamonte campus was another issue that came up with Deja and Graite, both of them would like to see more classes available in their area so they can take more diverse classes,

“I would like to see them bring the theater department over to the Altamonte campus.” said Graite

One of Jenna’a friends Francky said he would like to see more lounge areas

“like the ones they have in Sanford, with more of a student center and not just a small cafe.”

Overall, all of the students i talked to didn’t seem to know that the campus would be expanding and wanted the project to start so they can experience the expanded campus before they graduate.

Even though it was chilly outside, Seminole State students on the Altamonte campus were willing to give their opinion on how they feel about the school expanding.

“I didn’t even know the school was expanding” Kevin Glen said.

Kevin is a student at the Altamonte Campus and he feels that the school should make the students more aware of the positive changes that are happening on their campus in the near future. This way the students will have something to look forward to.

“It’s great that they are expanding the campus” Imani Gobourne said.

According to Paul Paja, the school really needs to be expanded because it is really small.

“The library is very small and doesn’t have enough computers to accommodate the students.” he said.

Well it looks like the students are looking forward to a bigger and better Altamonte Campus.

When I learned of all the differences between journalistic writing and any other kind of writing I was ever taught ever, I became pretty terrified. I was afraid I would be defensive about my work and become frustrated about all the small details that had to be altered. When it came down to researching, interviewing and writing the article, I assumed it would be much more difficult.

I learned in this issue of The Scribe is that I can do it. Because it was a smaller piece, it was not as difficult as I originally anticipated it to be. Getting rid of many of the writing rules that had been drilled into my mind was unexpectedly liberating and getting interviews, doing research, and finding a story was fun.

I also learned that large corporations are not inclined to give comments on topics that could directly affect them in any way at all that is not immediately positive. Go figure. In the future I will contact more than one expert, since I was denied an interview at the last minute.

My original article had to be scrapped, my second article had to be chopped in half and I had to reword the same ideas countless times. This first issue really showed me how much I need to improve the way I project and format what I want to say. Putting things in layman terms (I’d even argue that that phrase is becoming more archaic by the day) is not something that I particularly enjoy or even think to do right off the bat. The majority of the time I spent editing was focused on finding the perfect way to say what 50 words said perfectly for an audience that had a 15 word attention span. While I always thought that I knew how to write, the first article was a rude awakening to an exact opposite style of writing that I’m not used to. Details and long descriptions used to be good. Really good. Stretching an essay to have 100 more words was a piece of cake, but shrinking it to have the same vivid appeal and colorful description whilst keeping even the most illiterate person attached was a challenge. I’m hoping that with this next story I can use what I learned to not do so many drafts and focus on getting more proficient with InDesign.

From writing my first story I’ve learned a lot. Trying to fit all the information i have in as little as possible is a challenge that is completely different from what i have been taught in previous school years. Re-doing papers to elaborate on the few pages i have and turning each sentence into two or three, now taking as much info as i could gather and squeezing it into as little words as possible to get only the relevant information across. I’ve realized that any information that i cant give a source for is irrelevant and not needed, even common knowledge is out. However, journalism is quite enjoyable getting to rely on just the facts and letting them talk for themselves and letting the reader interpret the info as they wish. Other valuable lessons I’m learning is that procrastination is never an option. in high school procrastination was normal and just stressed out students, in this field it means not having a complete story to publish or not getting one published. All in all this first story has been eye opening on how much i need to get my work on track and be more caught up on due dates.

I thought I was a good writer but now I am not quite sure lol. I had a huge problem with shortening my article. I also kept starting each sentence with “she said” and Ms. Sheppard wasn’t having that lol. Ms. Sheppard helped me tremendously! She cut my article up with her red ink samurai sword. I was happy that she did because I am pleased with the final draft. Working with Indesign was fun but challenging for me because I haven’t worked with it before and I am not even familiar with Photoshop. I had the hardest time finding the columns button which I needed to find quickly if I wanted my article to look half way descent. Once things started to come together it was a breeze. My classmates were so supportive and if something I did sucked, they would let me down softly. To be honest I was really nervous when Ms. Sheppard was working with me one on one lol. She is so sharp and on point with everything, she doesn’t miss a beat. I was typing slow and she was typing fast as hell lmbo. She was pressing all these shortcut keys and in my eyes she was a miracle worker. I am more relaxed now because she made me feel like I wasn’t the worst student that she has worked with lol. I really learned to trust myself and just relax when she is sitting next to me with her red ink samurai sword lol. I am looking forward to our next deadline!

This first issue has been a mixture of new knowledge and nostalgia. While working in InDesign I had flashbacks of being in yearbook during highschool but had to try not to over-design my page and try to keep it simpler and more newspaper appropriate. Writing the story was the hardest part. Finding out that people are not as available as they may seem when you actually need them was definitely a lesson learned. Overall though, I’m loving this class and being part of a publication again feels really good.

After looking at one local news story from a few different news mediums, one can see the different styles and characteristics of the news source. The story i looked into was the gang rape of a local high school student by fellow classmates and how the 18 year old involved in the case had his charges dropped, gruesome yes but still interesting to see the reporting styles. The news sources that i have looked at are Wesh 2 news,(local tv station), WDBO-FM 96.5 (radio station), and Orlando Sentinel (newspaper). All of these sources have their differences and similarities but some of the information on the story is different depending on which source you get the story from.

First off all of them do a great job as not to not being racist, none of them describe the boys as the media usually would young african american teens, kudos. The high school students are portrayed as teens, juveniles, or students.

Now to the story, from all the different sources, the story varies so i will do my best to relay it generally. A 16 year old high school student was raped by six classmates, one being 18, two being 17, and according to the radio, two are 16, and one is 14, however the Orlando Sentinel says four are 17 and one is 16. The radio news story is the only one that tells the report from the girl, saying she was raped by three classmates on the way to a local McDonalds, and again by two classmates as she attempted to walk back. The girl did record the incident on her phone (or ipod according to OS), and the 18 year old suspect did not apear in any of the video nor was his DNA found, due to these facts the charges against him have been dropped.

The Tv stations website put up the video of the breaking news story which was just under three minutes long, they also had a small description and overview of the updates on the case, the radio station and newspaper did not have such small stories. the radio station has a mid length story with qoutes from the defense attorneys and police chief, also included are pictures of all six suspects. Orlando Sentinel reporter Renee Stutzman has a video of the defense attorney making some statements as well as a longer story with much more detail on the case and what has and will happen with the 18 year old and the juveniles.

“Martin Luther King’s Birthday Marked by Protests Over Deaths of Black Men” is the story that I researched. From my search I found that print, radio and television share the same story but in different ways.

New York Times was my print source and it provided a slide show with 8 photos and the story was very lengthy.

KFOR 1240 AM was my radio source and they only provided one picture and the story was very short and to the point.

Eyewitness News abc 7 was my television source and they provided 4 videos on the issue and the story was very lengthy and detailed.

In searching through various media sources, I found that there are many differences in the way information is provided. A headline discussing the recent video ISIL has directed at Japan through NPR, CNN and the NYTimes all offered the same information, in different ways.

NPR, being my radio source, gave the most concise version of the breaking news. It solely gave a detailed description of the video and some information with quotes offering ideas of what the nation of Japan will do.

The New York times, however, gave the most lengthy description of the event. This source spoke of the video, Japan’s recent campaign to support allies against ISIL and quotes from some of Japan’s leaders that gave an idea of what the nation will do. It also gave an analysis of the possible reasons for ISIL’s change in video pattern making them the most political.

CNN, finally, was in the middle in regards to length, providing the video and giving a more emotional account of the events focusing more on the people who may be beheaded than politics.

I researched the accusations of the New England Patriots using a deflated ball in last Sundays game against the Colts using three different media sources. The radio just had one video, while TV had a picture with a pretty lengthy article. The Orlando Sentinel had several different articles with pictures and a long article as well. It is safe to say that media convergence is definitely underway.

I’m Ian Finnerty and I was born and raised in Altamonte Springs Florida. This is my second semester at Seminole State College after graduating from Lake Brantley High School. I am a simple man who enjoys simple things, the finer things in life are often not a necessity for me but are quite enjoyable in moderation, as is everything. Journalism is not a passion of mine however the truth seeking aspect is a great quality that one can posses, I hope that taking this course will help me be as unbiased as possible and to poke and prod the truth out of as many people I can.

My whole life I have been told to find what you love to do and find a way to make money at it, with my motorcycle escapades I found that although I have a need for speed but sponsors do not have a need for me, unfortunately for them. I have not been into writing for as long as I have loved both Motorcycle Racing and Wrestling, both of which I don’t have a bright future in however will always be a passion for me, as I hope journalism will become after this semester.

My name is Elliot and I was born and raised in Altamonte Springs. i graduated from Lake Brantley High School and am currently on my third Semester Seminole State College. Right now i am trying to get my general education A.A., but eventually i would like to move to Colorado and get my Bachelors in Computer Science and Digital Design. My dream is to have a career that i love and to eventually move to France. I never really considered journalism one of my passions, in high school i took four years of Photography. But I’ve always taken a large interest in whats going on in the world, especially the things that our current media doesn’t seem to report on. i absolutely love art, whether its visual art or music. Freedom of expression is very important to me and i enjoy discussing politics with others. Honestly in recent year I’ve noticed that modern media does an extremely poor job reporting the news, which i feel is one the primary reason why i took an interest in journalism, i find my self frequently researching and talking about world events that are either misunderstood or are just unknown to the common public.

My name is Alex and I am a 19 year old journalism major at Seminole State College. I started my college experience with the intention of pursuing a degree in nutrition and dietetics. Upon becoming aware of the rigorous and lengthy course plan, I decided that it wasn’t for me. As passionate as I am about healthy living, the rote memorization required by the many chemistry classes was not quite appealing, as well as the extra years to acquire a Ph.D.

So, from there, I hesitantly changed my major to biotechnology, a complete 180 from nutrition and dietetics. So, why biotechnology? Recently in scientific advances, 3D printing has made staggering headlines. The applications possible for the technology, from artificial organs and limbs, to building tools on the space station from almost any organic material, and even as far as to domestic recycling, were enough to get me interested in the field as biotechnology deals with the manipulation of organic materials and organisms. Again, however, it took me a whole semester to realize that the required schooling was far beyond my interest in the subject. Even more science courses were required for just the AA degree. It’s not that I doubted myself in successfully completing the classes, it’s just that I doubted that I would really even enjoy it after eight or more stressful years preparing for it.

Now, I am in my fourth semester of college, and after this semester, I should be transferring to a larger university. Should be. After many nights of lying in bed thinking of what I’m going to do with my life, unable to sleep and unable to decide on a major, I chose to go with the flow and get into something I’m confident in and familiar with. So I settled on journalism. I was always a very proficient writer, arrogantly (and may I say, successfully) dismissing my instructors who insisted that their writing assignments could NOT be done adequately a day or even a week before the due date. Well, I wouldn’t be taking this journalism course if I hadn’t gotten A’s on all those papers with praising notes of validation accompanying my grade. That all being said, I do not mean to sound cocky, and as I have already documented here, I doubt myself constantly. I know that there are many better and more practiced writers out there. Taking this class is simply just me giving in to my natural tendencies and hoping (probably ignorantly so) that I’m as good as I think I am.

I’m Keyla, born in Puerto Rico and raised in central Florida. As the youngest of five children, I grew to become introspective and I began writing in a journal as early as I can remember. From my journal, my love of writing was born. Fashion and photography are my other two great loves and my ways of creative expression.

My way of combining all of the things I love is through fashion photojournalism. Whether through streetstyle photography or traveling the world documenting different culture’s traditions and how those traditions translate into what they wear and how they present themselves, I want to do it all.

I’ve also always had an immense compassion for people and want to join the Peace Core at some point in my life. I’m driven and ambitious, eager to see a world outside of Central Florida and with journalism I want to tell my story through other people’s stories.

Hi, I’m Tiffany. I’m a student. I think if there was a degree in life, I would be the first one trying to earn it. As an aspiring photojournalist and missionary, I seek to give a voice to those who don’t have the freedom of having one. I want to use my life and my words to fight for people against injustice. I desire to show teenagers and young adults in developed nations what is happening around the world, hopefully offering up a global perspective that inspires them to take action in a way that gets outside the mindset of narcissism and into that of selflessness. I strive to spend the rest of my life serving people, sharing in their stories and truly hope my work can be a reflection of them.

My name is Lauren, however my friends and family call me Lo. I am a true Floridian born and raised in Winter Springs. I have had a successful career in the jewelry industry for the past 16 years but have grown tired of it. I am now pursuing my dream career in journalism. I’m not quite sure where I want my degree to take me yet. I just know that I want to report what is happening in the world: whether it is in sports, fashion or news.

I’m extremely busy between work and school, but I make time for the important things in life. I spend as much time as I can with my three nephews, friends, and never miss Thursday night dinners with my dad or football Sundays!

I am a student at Seminole State College and I love being a student at Seminole State College. My current age is 27 and I live in Deland, FL with my boyfriend of four years. I do not have any kids but I would love to adopt someday. Writing is my passion and so are people, which is why I want to be a Journalist. I have been writing poetry and short stories since I was 8 years old. After I receive my associates degree in journalism, I am going to continue my schooling and get my bachelors degree in journalism as well.

I am most passionate about writing about other people’s life journeys. I would love to work with the criminally insane. I want to hear their stories from start to finish and share their stories with the world. I am very interested in knowing why people do what they do and how life can shape individuals and the paths that they take.

I graduate this year of 2015 and I am very excited. I have worked hard and it shows. I can’t wait to walk across that UCF stage and receive my degree. This has been an awesome journey and I am looking forward to nothing but success in my future.

“Its knowing what to do with being at the right place at the right time.”

Red Huber is a fireball of sweetness and passion. Among these quotes, I have a page more of notes from the two hours he came to speak. It was an honor to get to hear from someone who had been in journalism the last forty years.

I left the room last week completely encouraged to keep trying and keep writing and keep learning about journalism and photography. When I had come into the class, I hadn’t thought I would become so passionate about it all.

Red Huber could speak for hours about the things that he has seen, everything he has experienced and all the things he has learned through it all. He was just as honored to be here as we were to have him which was just a testament to his humility on and off the job.

I hope that in forty years I can look back and still be as on fire for what I do as he is.

Well here I am, most likely my last issue with The Seminole Scribe. With the best teacher I could ask for Ms. Jenn Sheppard, leaving us to pursuit better things, this semester comes to a sad close. After writing all these stories and talking to such incredible and insightful people, I have definitely grown as a person.

This issue taught me how much easier things can be when you don’t wait for the last minute. Getting started right away on talking to actors from the play “A Streetcar Named Desire” and to get them to critique themselves and not feed BS to a reporter. Overall this was a pretty successful and easy flowing issue and a fun filled semester.

This entire semester has taught me a lot about more than just journalism, it has showed me how to write in AP style, how to talk to someone and push the conversation and get their actual opinion, I learned how to take better pictures and get different view points. I’m inspired to go and try to pull out the truth from everyone and capture everything that’s right in front of me even if I come into a few obstacles.

Thank you Ms. Sheppard for everything you have shown me I did not think I would be this driven to be all that I can be without someone like you to help me see things differently.

Now, I’m not a republican, but writing this article, and being somewhat religious, halfway through I wanted to quit it completely. I hadn’t interviewed anyone who was for conversion therapy at this point, and the article felt bias to me. I couldn’t bring myself to write an article attacking the church when I am a part of it.

I chose to finish the article after deciding that as a journalist, I am not telling what I think is right or wrong, I’m simply telling the truth. It’s not my truth, but its the truth for who I am writing about.

I ended up calling some pastors in the area and wound up on the phone with the Director for the PenFlorida District of the Assemblies of God, which is pretty much the head honcho for all of the youth groups in one of the largest Christian movements in the country.

I told their truth. Not my own, and I think I ended up with an article that really didn’t swing in any particular direction, which, to me, is good journalism.

I learned that sometimes I’m not going to agree with what I’m writing, but I have a responsibility to keep myself out of it. It was a cool experience to get to really see what various people thought and get to piece it together in an article like this.